Archive for August, 2008

J&K ex-Governor blames PDP, media roles in Amarnath row
Chandigarh (PTI): Former J&K Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha on Sunday took on the PDP for its so-called anti-national role while blaming the media for “misleading and misinforming” the public on the sensitive Amarnath land row.
Alleging that Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was opposed to the length of the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine, Sinha said the former Chief Minister and PDP patron placed prefabricated structures along the Baltal route and continuously resisted his work as chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board.
In his 90-minute keynote address at a seminar on “Shri Amarnath Land Transfer — Implications of Revocation” organised here by the Forum on Integrated National Security, Sinha blamed the media, too, for its irresponsible coverage of the issue.
“I can understand the Valley press being prejudiced and engaging in yellow journalism but the national media has been misleading public opinion on this issue which is a matter of great concern,” he said.
Sinha said vested interests are trying to portray the decision of land transfer to SASB as one made by him “whereas the truth is that the state cabinet in May this year had unanimously approved of land being given to the Board.”
Separatists are whipping up the sentiments of Kashmiri citizens against the transfer, he said, by projecting it as a step to facilitate permanent settlement of Hindus and one that could potentially change the demography of the Valley.
Sinha also blamed the Centre for going into an “overdrive” with its “appeasement policy and hurried revoking of the order.”http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200808101867.htm

‘Land row conflict between nationalist and anti-national forces’
New Delhi (PTI): Accusing the PDP of misleading the people of Jammu and Kashmir, former state Governor S K Sinha on Saturday described the Amarnath land row as a conflict between nationalist and anti-national forces.
“PDP is considered as pro-India party. But they lead march to Muzafarrabad. Despite knowing fully well about the Baltal land, they are busy misleading the people,” Sinha said on the sidelines of a function here.
He said the PDP ministers had given clearance for the transfer of land after proposals were made by the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board in 2005.
“This proposal was considered by the government for three long years and finally cleared by two cabinet ministers belonging to PDP. Later, the PDP jumped on the bandwagon with extremists to fuel communal sentiments,” he said delivering the first Field Marshal Manekshaw memorial lecture here.
Claiming that the decision to revoke the order of land given to the Amarnath Shrine board by the government was “illegal and and violating Hight Court order”, Sinha said, “it is opportunist politicians like Mufti Mohammad Sayed who hijacked attempts to promote liberal and modern outlook and cater to fanatic outlook”.
Terming the Amarnath land row as a “non-issue” picked up by the extremists, he said “the present conflict in Jammu and Kashmir is not between Hindus and Muslims as such, but between nationalist and anti-national forces”.http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200808162070.htm

The Prime Minister is absolutely right when he says that political parties should be mindful about the situation that prevails in Jammu & Kashmir and rise above partisan politics to tackle an issue of national importance. There is, however, a problem with such assertions: Unless those who preach a non-partisan approach to solving national problems practice it themselves, they tend to be ignored. Hence, it is not surprising that the Prime Minister’s comments have not fetched a supportive response, either in Delhi or in Jammu, leave alone Srinagar. For, the Prime Minister appears to be unmindful of the fact, either deliberately or due to lack of comprehension, that his own party has played the most duplicitous role ever since trouble erupted over the Jammu & Kashmir Government’s decision to allot — and not hand over — 97 acres of land at Baltal to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board, a creation of the same Government, for setting up temporary facilities for pilgrims who trek to the hill shrine every year. Rather than stand up to the separatists and Islamists who blew the entire issue out of proportion, described the annual yatra as an unwanted ‘Hindu cultural’ intrusion, and claimed it was aimed at diluting the Muslim majority character of the Kashmir Valley, the Congress chose to appease them through a pliant Governor eager to please his political patrons in Delhi. Having committed that original sin, it now pretends great surprise at the fallout in Jammu and elsewhere in the country, while the Prime Minister waxes eloquent on the need to rise above partisan politics, slyly hinting that the problem is the creation of ‘others’ and not the Congress. Worse, instead of feeling contrite for its monumental blunder, the Congress continues to poke nationalists in the eye, describing the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference as the two sides of the same coin. Are we then to believe that the Congress, to which the Prime Minister owes his job, cannot distinguish between the Indian tricolour and the Pakistani flag? For, while the protesters in Jammu — including Muslims — have been proudly holding aloft the Indian tricolour, the Hurriyat’s followers have been waving the Pakistani flag and carrying posters of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Nationalists and separatists, common sense would suggest, can never be the two sides of the same coin. But such is the decline of the Congress that even common sense eludes the party; as for the Prime Minister, who is given to thinking out of the box, he is happy to indulge in banalities and thus believe he has done his job.

If such be the attitude of the party that rules India and the Prime Minister who presides over the Union Government, then we can only look forward to further grief. It would be futile to expect the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti to scale back its protest and sit across the negotiating table. It would be equally futile to expect the separatists to be told where they get off. The fact of the matter is that the Prime Minister’s perception of Jammu & Kashmir is at variance with India’s belief that it is an integral part of this nation. The Congress has no perception other than abiding faith in it capacity to appease Islamic fanatics; it perceives capitulation before separatists as a solution to the problem, rather than strengthening those who hate India and despise the very idea of India. The least that is expected of the Prime Minister and his party is that they will desist from ridiculing nationalist Indians.

The sun is about to set on the city and the roundabout is deserted. A youth suddenly emerges from one of the bylanes, carrying a National Flag in his hand and shouting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai“. Soon, the solitary protest at Kacchi Chhawani Chowk in ‘paralaysed’ Jammu turns into a mass frenzy as hundreds join him to express solidarity for a cause that has gone far beyond the Amarnath land row.

In fact, the Tricolour has united people in this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir to fight the “neglect” they faced in the last 60 years. The controversy over allotment of a land plot to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was a mere flashpoint. “We raised the Tricolour and were greeted with bullets. They (separatists) in Kashmir hoisted Pakistan‘s flag and brought the Government to its knees. It will not be allowed to continue any more,” thunders Subhash Dogra, a protester.

Everyone in Jammu has suddenly turned leader, brushing aside allegations that “communal elements” are controlling the movement. “We are leaders in ourselves. Nobody is leading us. We are ready to face problems today to ensure a better future for the generations,” adds Gurpreet Singh, owner of a few taxis. Though he has been getting no business for 50 days, he is ready to bear the losses for “many more months” but not the humiliation at the hands of the Government.

Everyone in Jammu has just one complaint. “Kashmir wants freedom, we love our country. They got everything, we were left empty-handed,” people living in the Mishriwalla refugee camp on the Jammu-Akhnoor highway say.

A senior employee in the Divisional Commissioner’s office revealed more. “You don’t get promotions on time if you are not from the valley. Jammu has more population and area, but Kashmir gets better representation in all Government bodies and organisations. Jammu contributes the most to the State’s exchequer, but Kashmir reaps the benefits. Electricity dues are more in Kashmir, but Jammu faces power cuts,” he told The Pioneer.

The Amarnath controversy has come in handy for all those who nurse the “wound of neglect”. They are in no double minds — the Government revoked the allotment of the land to the shrine board for a Hindu yatra under pressure from the same separatists whom they have been appeasing since Independence.

“We have to restore the pride of Baba Amarnath and that of Jammu. We are not going to be defeated at the hands of the anti-nationals. We will be on the roads until the target is achieved,” says 80-year-old Anil Sharma, as he and his grandson Ankit raise slogan of ‘Bam Bam Bhole‘ outside Sarwal police post in Rewari locality.

Police have lost public sympathy (they allegedly fired at peaceful protesters and manhandled many) and the Army faces a situation it never confronted before. “How can you expect us to fire at them or even wield a lathi when they come with a Tricolour in their hands and shout slogans in favour of us?” says an Armyman posted in the most sensitive Kacchi Chhawani Chowk of Jammu.

Jammu has been simmering for the last 60 years. It for the first time they have been heard.

The Prime Minister is absolutely right when he says that political parties should be mindful about the situation that prevails in Jammu & Kashmir and rise above partisan politics to tackle an issue of national importance. There is, however, a problem with such assertions: Unless those who preach a non-partisan approach to solving national problems practice it themselves, they tend to be ignored. Hence, it is not surprising that the Prime Minister’s comments have not fetched a supportive response, either in Delhi or in Jammu, leave alone Srinagar. For, the Prime Minister appears to be unmindful of the fact, either deliberately or due to lack of comprehension, that his own party has played the most duplicitous role ever since trouble erupted over the Jammu & Kashmir Government’s decision to allot — and not hand over — 97 acres of land at Baltal to the Sri Amarnath Shrine Board, a creation of the same Government, for setting up temporary facilities for pilgrims who trek to the hill shrine every year. Rather than stand up to the separatists and Islamists who blew the entire issue out of proportion, described the annual yatra as an unwanted ‘Hindu cultural’ intrusion, and claimed it was aimed at diluting the Muslim majority character of the Kashmir Valley, the Congress chose to appease them through a pliant Governor eager to please his political patrons in Delhi. Having committed that original sin, it now pretends great surprise at the fallout in Jammu and elsewhere in the country, while the Prime Minister waxes eloquent on the need to rise above partisan politics, slyly hinting that the problem is the creation of ‘others’ and not the Congress. Worse, instead of feeling contrite for its monumental blunder, the Congress continues to poke nationalists in the eye, describing the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti and the All-Party Hurriyat Conference as the two sides of the same coin. Are we then to believe that the Congress, to which the Prime Minister owes his job, cannot distinguish between the Indian tricolour and the Pakistani flag? For, while the protesters in Jammu — including Muslims — have been proudly holding aloft the Indian tricolour, the Hurriyat’s followers have been waving the Pakistani flag and carrying posters of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Nationalists and separatists, common sense would suggest, can never be the two sides of the same coin. But such is the decline of the Congress that even common sense eludes the party; as for the Prime Minister, who is given to thinking out of the box, he is happy to indulge in banalities and thus believe he has done his job.

If such be the attitude of the party that rules India and the Prime Minister who presides over the Union Government, then we can only look forward to further grief. It would be futile to expect the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti to scale back its protest and sit across the negotiating table. It would be equally futile to expect the separatists to be told where they get off. The fact of the matter is that the Prime Minister’s perception of Jammu & Kashmir is at variance with India‘s belief that it is an integral part of this nation. The Congress has no perception other than abiding faith in it capacity to appease Islamic fanatics; it perceives capitulation before separatists as a solution to the problem, rather than strengthening those who hate India and despise the very idea of India. The least that is expected of the Prime Minister and his party is that they will desist from ridiculing nationalist Indians.

The sun is about to set on the city and the roundabout is deserted. A youth suddenly emerges from one of the bylanes, carrying a National Flag in his hand and shouting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai“. Soon, the solitary protest at Kacchi Chhawani Chowk in ‘paralaysed’ Jammu turns into a mass frenzy as hundreds join him to express solidarity for a cause that has gone far beyond the Amarnath land row.

In fact, the Tricolour has united people in this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir to fight the “neglect” they faced in the last 60 years. The controversy over allotment of a land plot to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board was a mere flashpoint. “We raised the Tricolour and were greeted with bullets. They (separatists) in Kashmir hoisted Pakistan‘s flag and brought the Government to its knees. It will not be allowed to continue any more,” thunders Subhash Dogra, a protester.

Everyone in Jammu has suddenly turned leader, brushing aside allegations that “communal elements” are controlling the movement. “We are leaders in ourselves. Nobody is leading us. We are ready to face problems today to ensure a better future for the generations,” adds Gurpreet Singh, owner of a few taxis. Though he has been getting no business for 50 days, he is ready to bear the losses for “many more months” but not the humiliation at the hands of the Government.

Everyone in Jammu has just one complaint. “Kashmir wants freedom, we love our country. They got everything, we were left empty-handed,” people living in the Mishriwalla refugee camp on the Jammu-Akhnoor highway say.

A senior employee in the Divisional Commissioner’s office revealed more. “You don’t get promotions on time if you are not from the valley. Jammu has more population and area, but Kashmir gets better representation in all Government bodies and organisations. Jammu contributes the most to the State’s exchequer, but Kashmir reaps the benefits. Electricity dues are more in Kashmir, but Jammu faces power cuts,” he told The Pioneer.

The Amarnath controversy has come in handy for all those who nurse the “wound of neglect”. They are in no double minds — the Government revoked the allotment of the land to the shrine board for a Hindu yatra under pressure from the same separatists whom they have been appeasing since Independence.

“We have to restore the pride of Baba Amarnath and that of Jammu. We are not going to be defeated at the hands of the anti-nationals. We will be on the roads until the target is achieved,” says 80-year-old Anil Sharma, as he and his grandson Ankit raise slogan of ‘Bam Bam Bhole‘ outside Sarwal police post in Rewari locality.

Police have lost public sympathy (they allegedly fired at peaceful protesters and manhandled many) and the Army faces a situation it never confronted before. “How can you expect us to fire at them or even wield a lathi when they come with a Tricolour in their hands and shout slogans in favour of us?” says an Armyman posted in the most sensitive Kacchi Chhawani Chowk of Jammu.

Jammu has been simmering for the last 60 years. It for the first time they have been heard.